Shock to the Heart
by QueenCheetah
Summary: Bakura believes he's finally mastered the 'Toastur' and decides to prove it. But what happens when the device malfunctions and Ryou ends up in the hospital with memory loss? A short, silly 'what-if' fic with minor Tendershipping and other hinted pairings. RxB
1. Chapter 1

*Cough! Cough!*

"Ack! Sh*t!"

The grey smoke continued to rise from the metal device, right into Bakura's face.

"Motherf- Ra-dammit!" Cursing and snarling, the palest yami continued wrestling with the silver machine. The former spirit of the Millennium Ring scowled as he angled the knife downwards.

'Here I thought I'd finally mastered this bloody 'toastur' thing, and now the damn bread is stuck!'

He continued grappling with the 'toastur,' trying not to make too much noise.

Malik and Ryou were in the living room, talking about something school-related. Bakura quickly lost interest and decided to make a ham sandwich. Ryou offered to help with the toaster, but Bakura (proud and stubborn as always) refused his aid. Normally, the Ancient Egyptian wouldn't turn down such an offer, as his knowledge of modern mechanics was still marginal. But he didn't want Malik thinking that the King of Thieves couldn't handle such a simple device. So he'd gone into the kitchen alone, prepared to do battle with the monstrous machine.

"F***!" The sheer volume of smoke was reaching suffocating levels. The clueless yami kept trying to pry the bread from the heated device, but to no avail. He didn't even hear the footsteps when his hikari came in to see what was happening.

"Bakura- what- OH!"

Ryou let out a gasp of horror, and quickly pushed his yami aside. The boy grabbed the knife, but the movement caused the metal blade to touch the hot coils inside the toaster.

Rou's body jerked and twitched unnaturally, and Bakura swore that he saw a thin, blue light traveling along his limbs.

"SH**!" The panicked yami quickly grabbed the toaster's black handles and threw it across the room. The device came unplugged as it was thrown, and Ryou fell to the floor, his eyes closed.

"RYOU!" Malik had come running after Bakura's last outburst, and he quickly kneeled down next to his motionless friend. The pale yami was unsure what to do, but thankfully the younger Egyptian had some knowledge of modern treatments.

The smoke slowly dissipated as Malik attended to the victim. Bakura watched, anxiously, as the bronzed boy listened to Ryou's heart and lungs before kissing him on the mouth- wait-

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY HIKARI?!"

Malik looked upward before screaming back. "It's called _CPR,_ dumbass! I'm saving his life!"

Bakura watched as the blonde teen pressed down on Ryou's chest and snarled. "Now what the f*** are you trying to do?!"

"I'm keeping his heart beating and his breathing steady! Now go get a phone and call 9-1-1!"

Bakura hesitated and was about to lash out, when Ryou suddenly gave a weak cough. He twitched again and laid still. Bakura ran to the living room and picked up the talking-device.

"Crook- reed- reed- ...Yes! My hikari's hurt! He's not breathing and he's lying on the floor- what? What the bloody- _NO_ , I'm not wearing a dress!"

"It's the 'address' Bakura! She wants to know where we are!"

"Oh, right- we're in the living room of Ryou's house!"

" _Ra damn it, thief_!- GIVE ME THE F****** PHONE! -Hello? Yes, my friend is having trouble breathing! He's on the floor and I've been performing CPR for the past five minutes- Ok, so keep doing that- um, crap, I don't know, actually- Bakura, what happened to him?!"

"I was messing with the 'toastur' and he touched something and started shaking and jerking!"

Malik's mouth dropped in a perfect 'O' shape. "...oh, sh*t."

"What? What?!"

But Malik just spoke into the phone again. "I think he was electrocuted- yes, probably a standard wall outlet- not sure- how long? Oh good- alright, what else should we do?"

Malik continued talking on the phone in between chest compressions. Several minutes later Bakura jumped as there was a pounding at the door. Malik turned his head and snapped impatiently.

"Open it!"

As soon as the door was opened, three men wearing matching uniforms barged in. One ran to Ryou and put a half-mask over his face. The other two unfolded some form of wheeled-bench and hoisted the unresponsive teen up. They quickly wheeled the stunned hikari to the ambulance.

Bakura ran after them, but Malik grabbed his arm.

"Tell them you're his brother!" The darker Egyptian hissed under his breath.

"What? Why?!"

"Only immediate family can see him- go!"

The solemn yami nodded before rushing to the white and red vehicle.

One of the medics held out a gloved hand. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't ride along."

"I'm his brother." Bakura tried to sound confident, but the worry that scratched his boldness slipped through.

But the paramedic seemed to take the hitch as a sign of concern. "Alright- you can sit there; just put on the seatbelt and don't move."

Bakura nodded obediently and latched himself in. Ryou had taught him how to cross the belt and snap it into place. The boy insisted his yami had to do it every time they rode somewhere. And if Bakura protested, the boy would just smile and explain: _"Cars crashes can be dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."_

Bakura repeated the last phrase over and over in his head as he watched the pale boy lying on the stretcher.

 _'Hikari... please be alright.'_

An hour later, and Malik had gotten Ishizu to drop him off at the same hospital where Bakura was already waiting. The two duelists sat in silence as the doctors looked over the unconscious teen.

Both of the Egyptians' nerves were frayed within the first half-hour. The ER ward was tense and sobering. Physicians kept racing back and forth, there were constant beeping noises from the equipment, and the whole ward had an overwhelming stench of antiseptics. Malik kept fidgeting in his uncomfortable plastic seat. Bakura stood, leaning against the wall with a dour expression.

They both jumped as the door to Ryou's room opened, and one of the doctors called to a young woman walking down the hall.

"Nurse, could you please alert Guest Services and inform them that we need a translator for Room 306?"

"Yes, doctor. What language do you need?"

"The boy seems to be speaking English or French; I'm not entirely sure. But he doesn't seem to understand basic Japanese."

"We have a translator from the European sector who knows both of those, as well as Spanish and Italian. Shall I have him paged?"

"Yes, thank you. Tell him to come right to the room. The boy is very disorientated."

The doctor turned his attention to the paler of the visitors. "I would like to speak with you- you are his brother, correct?"

Bakura's face was dark as he nodded.

The physician turned pointedly to Malik. "And this is-"

"A family friend."

Malik was a little surprised that Bakura didn't make some snide joke.

But then again, he didn't feel like joking, either.

The doctor seemed to accept this explanation and began outlining his diagnosis. "Ryou's physical status is stable- his breathing is natural, and his heart sounds fine. He has some very minor burns on his right hand (Bakura's chest twinged in guilt) but they should heal quickly with minimal scarring, if any."

The tired professional sighed and the two Egyptians braced themselves.

"Unfortunately, his mental state is a bit... complicated. Your brother is conscious; however there was some minor cognitive disruption brought on by the electrical stimulation."

The physician only received blank stares. The doctor cleared his throat. "-Or, in layman's terms; Ryou's body received a limited electrical shock. Our nervous system is actually an electrical system of its own, and such an external force- like the jolt he received- can negatively affect the brain. His mind was overloaded, and it's caused some minor temporal regression."

"...meaning what, precisely?" Bakura nearly spat in impatience.

The doctor's face grew somber. "He's suffering a case of amnesia."

Both visitors blinked in disbelief. " _Amnesia_?" Malik tilted his head. "So, he's, like, forgetting everything?"

"In a sense- he's clearly forgotten several things, including his second language. He's most likely forgotten other information; but how much... I can't be certain yet. Of course, I don't know everything that's happened in his life, so I can only test his contemporary memory. His more personal experiences, however, need to be tested by someone who's known him for several years." The man nodded to the white-haired visitor. "It would be very helpful if you would speak with your brother- it might jog his memories and help us outline a full diagnosis."

Bakura gave a stiff nod before marching into the room. Malik stood up to follow, but was quickly stopped by the doctor.

"I'm afraid only immediate family is allowed in the patient's room during the first twelve hours."

Malik pouted but sat back down.

Meanwhile, the pale yami slowly opened the door to find his hikari lying in a bed, talking politely to a baffled nurse.

Bakura's stomach dropped. Ryou wasn't speaking Japanese, but English.

The smaller boy perked up when he saw the new visitor. "Oh! Hello, um, who are you? Are we related?"

And he didn't recognize Bakura at all.


	2. Chapter 2

_Meanwhile, the pale yami slowly opened the door to find his hikari lying in a bed, talking politely to a baffled nurse._

 _Bakura's stomach dropped. Ryou wasn't speaking Japanese, but English._

 _The smaller boy perked up when he saw the new visitor. "Oh! Hello! Um, who are you? Are we related?"_

 _And he didn't recognize Bakura at all._

The translator finally stepped into the room and quickly explained. "This is your brother- he came with us in the ambulance. He's been quite worried."

"Oh, so you're my brother!" Ryou smiled sweetly. "I'm very glad you're here- I'm afraid I can't seem to remember where I live."

"You live with me in a house near downtown Domino." Thank Ra Bakura had learned English through his hikari's mind years ago.

Hardly an hour passed before the boy was cleared to head home with his 'brother.' Bakura asked some questions on behalf of the physicians, but Ryou could barely answer half of them. The doctor eventually gave out some last-minute instructions, which the Guest Services Interpreter quickly translated for Ryou.

"There's nothing else wrong- the burns should heal in a matter of days; just keep applying the cream whenever you change the bandages (I recommend twice a day). Otherwise just be sure that you note anything odd- muscle tremors, skin discoloration, etc."

Ryou nodded politely and thanked the staff members who had treated him. Malik left shortly after being told about the 12-hour rule, so Bakura managed to hail a cab for the pair. The ride home was rather quiet. Bakura watched as his amnesiatic hikari peered out the cab windows. Ryou was clearly trying to recognize the buildings passing by. Judging by the look on his face, it wasn't going too well. Bakura remained silent, lost within his own thoughts.

The yellow vehicle slowed to a stop in front of the Bakura household. The modest, split-level ranch was painted an attractive off-white with blue accents. It wasn't anything spectacular, but the amnesiac boy seemed impressed nonetheless.

"Oh, this is a very nice house!" Ryou looked around in earnest approval as they stepped inside. "Do we have any pets?"

"Er, no; not really." Bakura thought about mentioning Marik and Malik, but sighed when he realized the joke would just go over his hikari's head.

"RYOU!"

'Speak of the devil...'

Ryou flinched at the loud cry, and stared as a tanned boy around his age flew into the living room.

Malik stopped when he saw the confused boy's expression. "Ryou? Are you awake? Ryou, hellooo?"

Ryou blinked. There it was again- that strange language that nearly everyone seemed to be speaking.

The polite hikari only blinked. "I'm sorry, but I can't quite understand you- do you speak English?"

Malik looked horrified. "He's forgotten how to talk?!"

Bakura groaned. "No, he's forgotten Japanese. He's speaking English just fine."

" _ **NOOOOO!**_ " Malik ran and grabbed onto a rather shocked Ryou. "But how will we still be friends?! How will I share my embarrassing stories and photos of Bakura with youuuuu?!"

"WHAT!?"

Ryou looked very nervous as the bronzed Egyptian clung to his shirt. "Um, I'm sorry, but could you maybe not hang onto me?"

But the darker boy paid him no mind, leaving the exasperated yami to butt in. "Malik, don't grab him like that. You're freaking him out!"

"But- but what am I supposed to do?! We can't even talk to each other!"

Bakura groaned, but Ryou looked uneasy. He stared at the wailing stranger and asked Bakura what he'd said. The other alabaster duelist repeated the question in English.

Ryou paused for a moment, and then grinned. "I know! Do we have a computer?"

Bakura reluctantly led the two hikari's to Ryou's room and pointed out his laptop. Ryou quickly booted it up (he couldn't remember his password, but Malik did- much to Bakura's unease).

The computer's real owner quickly opened up a browser and brought up a website.

"Ah-hah!" Ryou smiled and pointed to the screen. "See? I did a quick search and found this free translator website- you can write something in this box, select another language, and the same message appears in this box, already translated!"

Malik watched as Ryou typed something. It was soon translated into (rough) Japanese. 'I am Ryou Bakura. What are your name?'

Malik looked ecstatic. "Oh this is friggin' sweet! My name's Malik, and I'm a friend of your's and Bakura's!"

But the amnesiac boy only tilted his head in confusion.

Bakura struggled not to hit his forehead (Malik's, of course; not his own). "Malik, he still can't bloody understand you."

"Oh, right. Ok, Ryou, scoot your pasty butt over!"

Ryou squeaked as the blonde nearly shoved him aside so he could type a response.

'My name is Malik. I am a good friends of yours. I am also friends with a*s-face over there.'

At first Ryou thought it was a mistranslation, but judging by his brother's response, it wasn't.

"Malik!" Bakura started yelling something in that other language. It didn't take a translator to guess the nature of the rant.

Eventually Bakura calmed down, and Ryou asked a long series of basic questions- how old am I, what year am I in school, etc. Bakura helped with some of the more difficult ones, but soon lost interest as the conversation turned dull. He jogged downstairs for some kind of snack (preferably something that had once been alive).

Meanwhile, the two hikari's were communicating back and forth at a good clip. Ryou was feeling better, getting so many positive answers from Malik. But half an hour later, the patient asked one of the most complicated questions possible.

'So Malik is my friend- and Bakura is my full brother, yes?'

Malik shook his head as he typed. 'Actually, Bakura is much, much more." He motioned to his heart.

Bakura had the unfortunate timing of walking in just as Malik finished this sentence.

Ryou's eyes opened wider than anyone would think possible. He only took a second's pause before he started screaming.

Malik rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Even to the Egyptian drama queen- er, king- this seemed like a rather extreme response to finding out that one was gay.

But apparently that wasn't the main calamity.

"I'm dating my brother?!" Ryou wailed in anguish.

" _Malik!_ " The tanned blonde could practically see the steam coming off Bakura's enraged face. " _What the bloody hell did you tell him_?!"

"I'm a pervert!" The distressed patient wailed.

Bakura decided to murder Malik later. Instead he knelt down next to his hikari and addressed him patiently in English.

"Ryou- Ryou, stop it. Calm down." The pale boy let off lamenting for a moment. "I'm _not_ your brother. I just told the doctors that so I could follow you to the hospital. And I'm not your boyfriend."

"Oh." Ryou wiped his eyes with his hands. "Then- who are you?"

"I'm... basically your roommate. We're distant relatives and we've lived together for a long time. Your father is often away for his work, so he arranged for me to stay with you."

"Oh...ok!" Two chocolate-tinted eyes blinked in relief. "So, we're friends, right?"

"Erm... yes, I suppose so."

Ryou smiled and grabbed Bakura's shoulders. Before the older duelist could react, he found himself being squished in an excited hug.

"Oh, I'm so happy to know I have friends! I was worried when Malik said I used to live alone!"

Bakura flushed nervously. "Erm, yes; *eh-hem* well, you have plenty of friends." He made an awkward motion to the blonde, who quickly stood up. Bakura mouthed the word 'photo' to the other Egyptian.

Malik walked over to Ryou's bedside table and picked up a handsomely framed photo. "Here, Ryou; these are the rest of the 'group members.' We hang out a lot, although usually it's just a few of us; depending on who's busy."

Bakura quickly translated the speech. Ryou let go of his no-longer-brother and gave the blonde a brief hug of gratitude before taking the silver picture frame from him.

"Oh my, we make a pretty big group, don't we?" Soft, brown eyes scanned the faces in the frame, but after a minute they stopped. Ryou's shoulders sagged and he looked despondent.

"I don't recognize any of them..."

Malik quickly jumped in before the British teen could start crying again.

"Don't worry! I've got the dirt on _everyone_!" Bakura reluctantly continued his unofficial job as 'communications mediator'. Malik quickly pointed at the shortest person in the photo- a boy with wild, multi-colored hair.

"That's Yugi- he's been your friend for ages."

The pale yami repeated the statement in English.

Ryou smiled at the photo. "He's very cute."

Bakura nearly passed out in shock _ **.**_ _"WHAT?!"_

Ryou was surprised at the reaction. "What? He's really cute! His hair looks like a rainbow starfish and his face is like a little panda bear!"

Bakura and Malik both blinked.

"How old is he, anyway? His father looks to be in his late twenties- is he under 10?"

Ryou was beginning to seriously worry that his no-longer-brother might be bi-polar.

"The Pharaoh's little brat- ha! His _father_! Hahhahhah!" He wiped a giddy tear from his crimson eye and snickered. "That little runt's the same age as you."

Ryou stared at the picture again. "Really?! Wow, he's quite short, isn't he?"

Bakura's howls were reaching deafening levels.

Ryou decided to change the subject and pointed to the older star-headed boy. "So, who is that person?"

Bakura opened his mouth but Malik quickly spoke up first. "That's Yami- his real name is Atemu but no one calls him that. Yugi does call him 'mou hitori no boku,' though."

Bakura growled- it was bad enough he had to translate everything; now Malik was cutting him off?

But he did so anyway- for his hikari's sake.

Ryou tilted his head with wide eyes. "That's an odd nickname... are they brothers?"

Malik smirked. "You'd think, wouldn't you? But no, they're not related either. They're just _really_ close." Malik snickered, but Bakura repeated the sentence in such a dull manner that Ryou didn't get the joke.

"Anyway," the bronzed boy pointed to a tall, thin boy, "that's Jounouchi- he was born in America. A lot of people call him 'Jou'. He's a bit of a loud goof-off. He's also best friends with Yugi and Honda."

"I see..."

Malik began explaining who the blonde was- with plenty of gossip on the side. The elder of the white-haired pair was getting annoyed with the heavy dialogue, and told Malik to use the computer again. The blonde stuck his tongue out, but eventually obeyed, typing everything.

"And who's that girl?" Ryou typed after he pointed to the perky brunette.

The tomb robber glanced over Ryou's shoulder to read the screen. He let out a derisive snort as he commented in Japanese.

"That's an annoying b****."

"Bakura!" Malik frowned at the former spirit (although Ryou hadn't understood) before typing a translation. "Don't listen to him, Ryou- Anzu is very nice. She just has a tendency to... ramble on, I guess."

"Oh... so she's spirited?"

Malik rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, she's passionate about dancing and her friends. But _some_ people," he paused his writing to glare pointedly at the older Egyptian, "hate her for being a friendly, positive person; and not a grumpy-*ss loser that nobody wants to be around."

Bakura flipped the bronzed teen the bird, but Ryou was still focused on the picture.

Malik hoped this meant he recognized her face. "Do you remember anything about her? She used to help you with your math homework sometimes."

Ryou shook his head as he read the translation. "No, but I wish I did- she sounds kind." He glanced back at the lanky blonde in the photo. "And did... Jounouchi, right? Did he help me with my homework as well?"

This time it was Malik's turn to laugh. "Good Ra- _NO;_ no, he did not. Thank the gods."

"Ah." Even with Bakura's dull tone, Ryou understood. "And what about the guy next to him?"

"That's Honda- he's- er, when- um..." Malik sweatdropped and shrugged. "Ok, I admit it, I don't know anything about Honda."

"He's almost like a background character." Bakura mused.

"Like a what?" Malik frowned in obliviousness.

"Never mind."

Ryou pointed to the man hiding way in the back of the group.

"And that really tall guy?"

Malik snorted. "That's Kaiba- the infamous Seto Kaiba. He's an extremely wealthy businessman who took over his father's company when he was younger."

"Wow," Ryou stared in surprise, "but, isn't he our age?"

The younger Egyptian nodded. "Yep- he and his little brother were adopted by one of the most powerful businessmen in all of Japan. The man trained Seto to be a ruthless corporate executive. And now Seto runs the 'Kaiba Corporation,' or 'KaibaCorp' as most people call it."

"Huh... that's very strange. What about his brother?"

"You mean Mokuba Kaiba? He's still in grade school, but he's pretty cool. He's a lot friendlier than his brother. But he's younger, so he doesn't hang out with us a lot. He's not in this picture."

Ryou sighed sadly. "They sound so nice (well, perhaps not the tall guy so much,) yet I don't remember them at all. I feel like such a bad friend."

Malik frowned and kindly clapped the other hikari on the back. "You're not a bad friend- heck, you're a _great_ friend! Besides, you'll start remembering everything soon- just give it time! It'll all come back!"

Bakura vocally translated the reassurance, and Ryou gave a weak smile. But Bakura could sense the subtle despair hiding within both the tomb keeper's tone and Ryou's expression.

All three duelists were silently thinking the same thing: _'I hope.'_


	3. Chapter 3

A short while later, the three duelists were all sitting in the kitchen, enjoying a basic meal. Bakura had grabbed several microwavable ramen packs, and they were eating from their respective bowls (Malik insisted on a vegetarian variety, and Bakura wanted the style with extra meat).

They had just started to dig in when Ryou realized that he hadn't washed his hands first. He made his way over to the sink and lathered up some soap.

It was difficult to avoid the bandages on his right hand- they weren't supposed to get wet. But as he went to place one hand on top of the other, he felt something odd.

"Huh?" Something was raised along the back of his left hand.

Ryou looked at the oddly-marred skin. 'What is that? It looks like some sort of scar... but how-?'

The pale boy froze as he heard a sadistic laugh ringing through his head. There was a flash of red and piercing pain. Then someone spoke mockingly. _"How does it feel,_ _landlord_ _?!"_

A pair of blood-red eyes... a dark, cruel demon...

Ryou's lips moved without him knowing. "Monster."

"Ryou?" Malik stared in concern, recognizing the nervous tone, if nothing else.

The British boy began breathing heavily, and his eyes flew open in terror.

" **NO!** " He flew away from the sitting pair, gasping in fear. "It's not **-** " He turned to the kitchen counter and grabbed a massive steak knife.

" _Whoa!"_ Malik jumped up. He tried to calm his friend, forgetting that the other couldn't understand him right now. "Ryou, hold on! What's wrong?!"

" _ **You**_ \- You aren't human!" The pale boy screeched as he pointed at Bakura. "You're some kind of _**demon**_ _!_ _You're_ the one who gave me this scar!" Ryou lifted his hand upwards to show the scar. _"I remember!"_

'Oh, _crap_.'

Malik saw Ryou pointing to his scar, and he could guess what the screaming was about. He slowly moved towards the panicked boy. The doctor had mentioned the possibility of his memories returning in stages or even random segments, but Malik never actually thought about how that might play out. Given everything they'd been through... gods, he just hoped his friend didn't start attacking him as well.

Bakura, on the other hand, had turned his face away. He didn't say anything.

"Well?!" Ryou was going crazy. He continued yelling in tense English. "What the hell are you?! You're not my brother or my cousin, yet you look just like me! Where did you come from?!"

The language barrier was still strong, but Ryou's tone and the repeated mentioning of names gave the tanned teen a fair idea of what was being said. Malik frowned, wondering if the truth was really the best policy in this case. He raised his bronzed hands up in a pacifying gesture and tried to calm his friend.

"Look, Ryou, if it makes you feel safer, you can keep the knife, (it's yours, anyway) but the reality is that what you're asking involves a very, _very_ long story, and it's weirder than you can imagine."

But Ryou only eyed him nervously- once again, Malik had forgotten that he needed a translator. And right now Bakura wasn't looking at either duelist.

Trying to keep things rational, the bronzed teen quickly grabbed the laptop and jabbed at the keyboard. "Calm down- you don't even remember who Bakura is; so we should all sit down so we can explain everything."

Ryou's reply was obvious in any language. " **No**."

Malik blinked. "Eh?"

"I SAID 'NO!'" The boy was starting to glare at the still-silent thief. He fiercely typed out a full response. "I may not remember who he is, but I know he's done a lot of horrible things. He stabbed something _right through_ my hand, and for some reason he also decided to _cut open my arm_!"

Unfortunately, Malik's habit of speaking/typing whatever idea popped into his head kicked in.

"Actually, he cut your arm to help me trick... oh, crap."

Two chocolate-colored eyes grew even wider as he felt more memories return: there was a blimp, and a red dragon... a blonde-haired psycho... and pain. Horrible, unbearable pain.

"Oh my... _YOU_!" Ryou screeched again, only this time he pointed at the bronzed teen. He typed furiously as he spoke. "YOU wanted him to stab me! And then you tried to make someone _ **kill**_ me!"

It took a lot to render Malik speechless, but Ryou's translated words managed to do just that. Both of the Egyptians remained silent, not sure how they could ever explain everything.

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but _I will_ _ **not**_ _have people who_ _'ve_ _abused_ _me_ living in my home!" He threw his arm out towards the door. "You two need to _LEAVE._ "

"But, Ryou, we-" Malik was cut off when he felt a cold hand grab his wrist. Bakura pulled the blonde towards the door without pausing. The tanned teen could only splutter in confusion as he found himself being dragged outside. He heard loud slam of the door shutting, followed by the sound of it quickly locking behind them.

"Why the hell did you do that, Bakura?!" Malik's hands were balled into fists and he glared heavily at his quiet companion. "Now Ryou won't understand anything!"

"..." The paler man sat down on the sidewalk, resting his back against the neighbor's fence. His head was hung towards the ground, and messy white bangs covered his face.

Malik put one hand on his hip and glared. "Well? What are we supposed to do now?"

"...wait."

"Eh?" The other Egyptian's jaw opened as he stared in disbelief. "What the hell do you mean, ' _wait_?!' Ryou thinks we're monsters!"

Bakura mumbled something further. "...lie."

Malik folded his arms huffily and frowned at the pale Egyptian. "I don't think lying is going to help us very much here. Especially since Ryou's going to remember more stuff sooner or later, right?"

There was a frustrated growl from underneath the white hair. " _ **I**_ _ **said**_ , was anything he said actually a 'lie?'"

Malik blanched.

"I impaled his hand, and you watched me stab him in the arm... we both used him. He wasn't wrong. At all... about anything."

The thief grew silent again.

Malik blinked in disbelief. "So... what do we do?"

"Wait. That's what we can do. Hopefully he'll start to remember more, and hopefully he'll feel the same way again."

Two purple eyes narrowed in misgiving. "What do you mean, 'feel the same way?'"

The past tomb robber didn't lift his head. "...Ryou's human. And as we just saw, he can obviously still make his own decisions on how to examine and react to the past. If his memories start to come back in strange segments, he may end up feeling differently about what's happened. He might re-live everything through a different perspective... and in the end he may not see us in the same light. Hell, he might be afraid of us, or hate us. Ra only knows. Either way, if he's angry at us right now, constantly pressuring him isn't going to make him trust us." Bakura finally lifted his head, leaning it against the fence and looking up at the sky. "...so, we wait... and hope that he doesn't tell us to f*** off in the end."

Malik's jaw dropped. "Well, sh*t."

There were several minutes of silence as both foreigners waded through their separate thoughts.

Eventually Malik gave a loud sigh. "Well, this sucks. Guess there's only one option..." He pulled out his cell phone and began searching through his contacts.

"What do you think you're doing?! I just told you, we can't contact him!" Bakura snarled and made to grab the phone, but Malik gracefully avoided him.

"Silence! I'm not a fool, you know!" Before Bakura could retort, Malik heard the other end pick up.

"Moshi-moshi!"

"Yugi, it's Malik- I'm afraid something's happened...can you make some calls for me?" After a short explanation, Malik hung up. "Well, hopefully they can help Ryou... he should be ok with them, even if he doesn't remember much."

Bakura snorted. "I can 't believe you called the Pharaoh's cheerleaders."

The fashionable Egyptian shrugged. "Hey, we tried to take over the world; they didn't. Simple."

"Hmph." Bakura turned and started walking towards the downtown area.

"Bakura? What are you doing?"

"Heading downtown."

There was a sound of footsteps running towards him, and this time it was the paler boy whose wrist was dragged along.

"Oh, no you don't! It may be warm outside, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to sleep in some crappy cardboard box! You're coming to my house!"

The former spirit tugged the other way. "What the devil do you mean, 'not allowed?!' You're not my master!"

"Well, when Ryou isn't around, I am!"

A faint tinge of red crossed the alabaster cheekbones. "Wha- j-just what the hell are you implying?! And let go of my wrist, you bloody idiot!"

Malik snickered. "Aww, what's wrong Baka-kura? You afraid Ryou will think you're cheating on him?" He pulled the thief closer and grinned mockingly. "But we'd look so good together, don't you think?"

The paler Egyptian was fuming as he wrenched his arm away from the deranged tomb keeper.

"Keep your damned hands to yourself, you bloody lunatic! I'm not your psychotic arsehole boyfriend!"

"Hey, don't you dare diss my Marik-hottie! He's sexier than you, and you know it!"

Malik then started humming some annoying, modern song Bakura didn't recognize. Three blocks later, and the damned tomb keeper hadn't let up. The thief groaned to himself in frustration.

 _' How is this an improvement over a cardboard box?!'_


	4. Chapter 4

Not long afterwards, Ryou was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking around (what was apparently) his room. He was struggling to recognize _something_. There was the picture on the dresser next to his bed- the one with all his friends (he supposed). But then he noticed something strange- Malik had said this was the 'group' he hung out with, yet neither that evil Malik nor that wicked Bakura were in it. If they had been 'friends' for so long, why weren't they there? And why did he have such horrible memories of them both?

Ryou began curiously searching around the house- sure enough, there were several pictures of him and the larger 'gang,' but only one of his 'clone' and the darker boy.

And that single picture was very odd- Ryou was in front, smiling happily and giving a typical 'peace' sign. But Bakura was standing behind him, looking very annoyed. He didn't look like he wanted to be in the picture. Malik, on the other hand, seemed even happier than Ryou, and he was giving 'bunny ears' to Ryou and Bakura. There was also another man standing in the background with a rather goofy grin- he looked almost identical to Malik, except larger. Yet another mystery to add to the pile.

Light, pale locks shook back and forth in frustration. None of this made sense. He was a British-born teen with a father in Egypt and a home in Japan. He lived with a crazy psychopath who had physically abused him, and his 'friends' were a bunch of very random people who- for some reason- all got along. Oh, and _apparently_ they did something that saved the world using magic and trading cards.

...how the devil was he supposed to accept all of this without his memories? Heck, right now he'd be happy if he just _understood_ some of it!

He was just starting to get a headache when he heard the doorbell ring. Ryou jumped up, remembering the phone call he'd gotten shortly after the two maniacs had left. He headed downstairs, hoping that his 'other' friends could help make some sense of this.

"Ryou!" He was greeted by several enthusiastic cries when he opened the front door. A large crowd of teens was waiting on the front stoop, clearly expecting him to invite them inside. But they kept speaking in that unusual language... (Japanese, the nurse had said...)

"Oh! Hello! I heard about you- um, you're- my friends?" Ryou tried not to sound insulting, but it was hard to hide the fact that he didn't remember them.

The group looked a little crestfallen, but the smallest member stepped towards him. He was very short, but had a wide smile and lots of energy.

"Hi Ryou, I'm Yugi! I've been your friend for a long time, but if you don't remember me that's ok- maybe we can be new friends!"

His English wasn't perfect, but his words were still clear. Ryou blinked at the happy manner- there was something very endearing about the star-haired boy.

He smiled. "I'd like that. Please, come in."

A brown-haired girl was the next to step inside. "My name is Anzu- we're all in the same class in school at Domino High School." She lifted up a box that seemed to have several random objects in it. "We all got together and brought some things that you might remember- if you want to try looking through them, of course. Whatever you feel like."

Ryou was pleasantly surprised- they had all gotten together to help him? Even when he didn't know their names?

His eyes grew misty and he smiled appreciatively. "Thank you all; that's very kind of you."

"Nah, think nothin' of it!" The lanky guy Ryou knew to be 'Jou' spoke up. "'Sides, this thing's gotta be temporary- it's not like anyone could ever forget me!" The blonde threw out his arms in an exaggerated show.

"And yet, so many of us still try..." The tallest man in the back commented.

"Hey, whatcha say to me, rich-boy?!"

Ryou's eyes widened. "Mutt."

"Eh?" Jou turned. "Ryou?"

"That... that guy-" He pointed to Kaiba, "-he's always calling you 'mutt,' right?"

Everyone's eyes widened. Then Jou's shoulders slumped forward.

"Aw man... you mean _that's_ the thing you remember?"

Everyone else started laughing, and Ryou realized they were all just teasing; not actually insulting their friend. He gave a slight giggle, and the smallest boy ('Yugi,' he reminded himself) turned to him.

"Hey, I saw that!" The shortest visitor grinned as he pointed to Ryou's face. "You remember how to do Ryou's smile!"

"Um, beg pardon?" Ryou was confused. 'Ryou's... smile?'

"Yeah!" The blonde nodded happily. "You've got a really special smile- your eyes close and your whole face looks really cheerful!"

"It's cute!" Anzu added, though she blushed when the shorter brunette stared at her funny.

The homeowner quickly invited the upbeat crowd in, and everyone settled into the living room. Ryou had a million questions, but he waited for his friends to get comfortable before speaking.

The language barrier was still strong, but thankfully Jounouchi and Kaiba both spoke English, and Anzu was somewhat fluent (as she dreamed of one day studying dance in New York). Yugi also knew a bit from school, but he wasn't fluent enough to hold a long conversation.  
"Um, so... how did we all meet?"

Although the question was simple enough, the number of responses (half of them in that odd language) was overwhelming. Ryou nearly sweatdropped as he tried to figure out how to even address the issue. Thankfully, he was saved the trouble by the only girl in the room.

Anzu clapped her hands together loudly, and the group stopped talking. "Ok gang, this obviously isn't going to work- we need one person to tell the main story, and then everyone else can add anything they think was left out- _politely_ , I mean." She gave Jou a pointed look, and the blonde gave an awkward laugh.

"Eh-heh... sounds good to me."

Yugi and Anzu were chosen to tell the main story (although Seto and Jou occasionally interjected with rather biased comments) and Ryou listened as they wove what was perhaps the strangest tale he'd ever heard.

"-so then they were both sympathetic to our circumstances, and granted the three of us a chance at living in the mortal realm again." The Pharaoh concluded, with Anzu translating (as no one but the three yami's were at the weighing by Ma'at).

Ryou's head was wheeling as the former Pharaoh ("Yami," as he asked to be called) wrapped up the incredible story. During the entire narration, he'd felt some random memroeis come back- most of which weren't very helpful, but some were rather reassuring (he was surprised how he remembered Jounouchi's sister and Yugi's Grandpa without any prompting).

Ryou hesitantly voiced one of his direst questions. "So... are Bakura, and Marik, and Malik... good, now?"

Yami sneered, but Yugi quickly interrupted. "They don't want to take over the world anymore, if that's what you mean. The darkness is mostly gone from their hearts."

Ryou raised an eyebrow. "'Mostly'?"

The past Pharaoh cleared his throat. "It's in their nature to be troublesome; and although they are no longer 'evil' they are still three very large pains in the-"

"Yami!" Yugi rebuked his darker half right in the middle of translating his words. "That's rude."

The Egyptian just mumbled something suspiciously like, _"_ _And they aren't_ _?"_ But Yugi didn't catch it.

Ryou was still very confused- he had no doubts that his friend were telling him the truth (honestly, who could ever make a story like _that_ up? Especially as it entirely explained his scars and scattered memories). But he was still unsure of why he and Bakura were roommates... and what was his relationship with the two blondes?

The pale boy held back a sigh. He had a feeling that no amount of quick questions and answers was going to explain this entire lurid saga.

Meanwhile, as Yugi and the others tried to jog Ryou's memories, two other duelists were just reaching the Ishtar residence. Malik opened the door and yelled out a warning to his family.

"Hey Ishiiiiizuu! I brought something home!~"

Bakura uncovered his ears and glared- what was he, a stray dog?!

"I swear to Ra, Malik; if it's another squirrel..." Ishizu stepped gracefully into the foyer.

"Nope! Something even nuttier!" He snickered at his own terrible joke. Bakura just closed his eyes in disbelief.

 _'Why the f*** am I here again?!'_

The seer paused as she recognized the pale thief. "Bakura. This is a surprise." Her tone was rather terse- she clearly remembered what had happened the last time the tomb robber had visited.

Which reminded her; the kitchen pipes might be fixed, but they were still out of raspberry soda and Alka-Seltzer.

"Hikari-love~!" A large blonde-and-purple blur suddenly latched onto Malik.

"Hey, Marik-honey; you have a good day?"

Marik nodded eagerly. "Yeps! Odion took me through a car-washer! It was kinda creepy and really cool! It was like a monster was _eating_ us alive! And everything was soapy and bubbly and- oh, Baka-thief is here!" Marik let go of his lover and ran to glomp the ancient outlaw.

As usual, Bakura simply waited until the last second before he casually side-stepped the thief, sticking his foot out so the crazed yami crashed to the floor.

Bakura smirked to himself. 'Is he ever _not_ going to fall for that? Fool.'

Unlike the Pharaoh and the Thief King, when Marik had been brought back, the gods left a large portion of his twisted psyche behind. A way to 'cleanse the soul for more unbiased judgment' or some crap. All Bakura knew was that the overly-brawny fiend was now twice as dense and half as insidious as he used to be.

"Marik-love! Are you alright?!" The younger of the pair knelt down and checked his fallen dark. Marik smirked as Malik began kissing his yami's hands and knees 'better.'

'Then again, maybe he's smarter than he looks...' Bakura's nose soon twisted in disgust as the two blondes progressed to areas that Marik _definitely_ hadn't hurt. Soon they were both quite distracted.

Ishizu cleared her throat, and Malik stopped. Marik, however, continued making little love bites up and down Malik's tan neck.

"Marik-honey, I think we should *ngh* stop for a moment."

"Hmm? Why?"

Ishizu was now towering over the two seated teens, and this time she cleared her throat loud enough to nearly shake the paintings on the wall.

"Oh, sorry Ishi-sis!" Marik got up, not looking the least bit apologetic. "Is it snack time yet?"

Malik quickly re-adjusted his shirt. "I think we should start working on supper- it's getting late, and we're going to have a guest for dinner." He pointed at the still-repulsed tomb robber.

The larger blonde stared at Bakura for a moment, tilting his head. "Hikari, isn't baka-thief too skinny for everyone?" He poked the growling tomb robber in the side. "Marik thinks thief will taste bad, too."

"OVER. We're going to have a guest _OVER_ for dinner." Malik sighed while Bakura swatted away the tanned digits. "Ra, what am I going to do with you, love-bug?"

Marik grinned. "Marik-yami has some ideas for Malik-honey~"

Again, Bakura felt like gagging- when they weren't ripping each others' (already skimpy) clothes off, they were making up new, nauseating pet names.

 _'...REALLY missing that cardboard box now.'_


	5. Chapter 5

Anzu sighed as Jou and Kaiba argued over the whole 'story' they'd just finished weaving for Ryou. Somehow, despite ample evidence to the contrary, the cynical billionaire _still_ refused to believe that their adventures had involved anything 'supernatural.'

She was just thinking of something to say when she was interrupted by the amnesiatic homeowner.

"Anzu? Could I ask you something?" He had a slightly reddish-tint to his face.

The girl was confused but polite. "Certainly, Ryou. Did you want to go somewhere more-" there was a crashing noise from the kitchen, followed by Honda yelling something, "-private?" She deadpanned the last word.

Ryou nodded. "That'd be helpful."

They both went into Ryou's bedroom, leaving the door half-open. Anzu waited patiently for the pale duelist to speak.

"Um, this is a little awkward, but I was wondering... _who_ , exactly, is dating _who_ in our group? I'm getting a lot of mixed impressions..."

The girl's face flushed slightly. "Oh! Well, that's a bit difficult..." She frowned. "Technically, I don't think anyone's 'dating' anyone- at least, not openly."

Ryou tilted his head. "But you suspect there's crushes?"

The girl nodded wryly. "I think it's beyond 'suspecting' at this point, but yes; I'm fairly certain that Yugi and Yami are sweet on one another." She placed a hand on her forehead in irritation. "As for Jounouchi and Kaiba... it's really complicated, and I'm not going to speculate since they're both very vague. But if you notice them fighting, don't worry; they do it all the time."

"Oh." Ryou paused. "We're a weird group, aren't we?"

Anzu laughed. "You could probably say that! But we all care for each other, and we have a lot of fun together. Even Kaiba."

"I can't picture him having fun."

She smiled. "He may not smile a lot, but he does come by often- and with a multi-billion dollar company to run, I'm guessing that he has other things he could be doing with his time. So he must enjoy hanging out with our group."

There was a bellow from somewhere in the living room.

"MUTT!"

Anzu sighed. "Although sometimes, I'm not so sure."

Ryou couldn't help but laugh, and they both headed back downstairs.

A while later the large group had slowly dispersed, until only Yugi, Yami, and Anzu were left.

"Does everything make a little more sense to you now, Ryou?" Yugi asked kindly.

The British native hesitated. "I... think so. It's just so utterly complicated." He shook his head. "I was expecting something a lot simpler. It's not exactly an easy story to accept. Heck, I still can't believe Bakura and I, and you two-" he pointed to Yugi and his darker half "-aren't related."

Yami chuckled in a deep tone, and Yugi repeated his words. "We believe that you and Yugi may be reincarnations of our past selves... like you said, it's complicated."

"Oh." There was a moment of thoughtful silence. "Well, thank you for stopping by- and thank you for all your help. I do hope my memories return soon!"

"As someone who has lost his memories, I know it is difficult. If you ever should need to talk, you may call upon myself or my aibou."

Yugi quickly translated the speech for his darker half, and Ryou nodded.

"Thank you- I might just have to take you up on that offer."

The Bakura household was now empty, save for one very confused teenager. Ryou spent the rest of the evening flipping through the photographs that Yugi's group had brought for him. He could feel some vague tugs at the back of his mind, but nothing really clear seemed to jump out at him. Distracted, he twisted one of the photos in his hand.

"Ouch!" He looked down to a see a thin sliver of blood oozing from a small paper-cut on his right hand. The pale teen headed to the bathroom sink to wash the wound. As he rinsed out the paper-cut, Ryou suddenly felt something drift to the front of his mind- a memory. He quickly focused on the imagery twisting through his head. He was sitting at the kitchen table, holding his wrist. Bakura was leaning over the table, digging through what looked like a small medical supply kit.

" _Foolish hikari! Why the hell would you do something like that?!" The ill-tempered man hissed as he opened a small bottle. Bakura then tilted the container and squeezed a clear fluid out onto the other's wrist._

 _Ryou winced as the liquid antiseptic dripped down over the scratches. "He was hurt and trapped! He would've died if someone hadn't freed him!"_

 _Bakura snorted. "It was a stray cat\- who cares?!"_

 _Ryou frowned and gave a slight pout. "Well, **I** care! And I don't believe in letting people or animals suffer- especially not if I can help it!" _

_Bakura made a non-committal grunt. "Hnn."_

 _Ryou noticed how carefully the taller man wrapped the bandages around his wrist. A moment later Bakura spoke. His voice was unusually soft._

" _How's that?"_

" _That feels fine- thank you."_

 _The white-haired grump scowled, and his voice grew rough. "Don't do that again, you fool- having a bleeding heart is better than having a bleeding arm."_

 _Ryou smiled as he noticed the faint flush on the other's face. "I'll try."_

"Hm... he can be kind..." The amnesiatic teen murmured thoughtfully to himself. 'But still- given the horrors of my other memories, it'll take more than a little first-aid to convince me that he's reformed.'

At the same time, several blocks away, a black-haired woman was uneasily searching for something. Ishizu frowned as she glanced around the first floor of their home. She soon found her younger brother and his dark half in the living room.

"Malik? Have you seen Bakura?"

Her brother looked up from his cards and nodded his head- he and Marik were apparently setting up a duel.

"What? Oh, Bakura- yeah, I think he's still out back. He was just sitting on the steps, staring at nothing. I asked him what was wrong and he told me to 'f' off,' so, yeah- he's being a moody *sshole."

Meanwhile, the former Thief King was staring up at the cloudy sky, his mind lost in a whirl of recollections.

He'd heard stories of men back in the ancient kingdom- drunks who had been involved in fights and hit their heads. They'd lost some of their memories, yes; but from what he'd heard they only lost the ones from that same night.

This 'elecktrickity' thing was far more dangerous. He closed his eyes as he remembered the first time he'd truly noticed an outlet...

" _And this is where we plug in things that use electricity- see? Anything with a plug, like this-" Ryou held up the black tail of the blender, "-can use electricity. So we plug it in, and then we can use it!" Ryou flipped the switch and the blender blades began whirring. Bakura watched with mild fascination- he was already rather familiar with the concept of these non-magical appliances, but it was interesting to see how they drew their power._

" _BUT!" Ryou held up one finger while he switched the blender back off. "Electricity can be deadly- you are NEVER to put anything in any outlet except a clean, unbent plug. NOTHING else goes in there- particularly liquids or metals!"_

The ancient outlaw let out a frustrated huff. He should've remembered those words- then Ryou would never have gotten hurt. But as usual, his pride had taken over his common sense.

The former spirit scowled- he _really_ felt like punching something.

"Hey Bakura!"

Malik's timing was probably not the best, but the Thief King still managed to hold back (he _was_ a guest, even if only reluctantly).

 _ **'What."**_

The darker Egyptian nearly shivered- he hadn't heard that tone in a long time. "Dinner's almost ready- Ishizu knows you're not a vegetarian, so she made some veal kabab wa kofta!"

"..." The ancient outlaw's desire to pummel something was outweighed by his love of meat, and he sullenly followed the former tomb keeper back inside. The dining room was already crowded, but one large figure was missing.

"Odion's working late, but he promised to join us later." Ishizu added as everyone sat down around the dark wooden table. Bakura didn't comment, but just sat down and grabbed his silverware.

There was some small talk as the foreign group exchanged serving bowls. Ishizu made a point of commenting on the exact number of utensils on the table, leading to a scowl from Bakura. She noticed, however, that the missing spoon from the thief's place-setting suddenly 're-appeared' a few moments later.

Eventually everyone had been served, and the four Egyptians dug in. Malik was buttering a thick slice of bread, and Marik was trying to get to the desert plate first (Ishizu kept swatting his hands away from the rice pudding). The former seer politely nodded towards the thief. "How is the veal?"

"It's fine." Bakura couldn't help the faint voice in the back of his mind that chimed in, reminding him that 'Ryou wouldn't over-cook it, or use so many herbs.'

Marik soon began chatting about random things, and Malik joined in. Bakura ignored the blonde duo's inane prattle and focused on eating. Ishizu also remained thoughtfully quiet, although her concerns were more on how long they would be hosting their ancient 'guest.'

'I suppose it would be cruel to force young Ryou to take on the former King of Thieves when he has no memories of what-' Her thoughts were interrupted by Malik's sudden shout.

" _Hey!_ I saw that! Put the ladle back, you sticky-fingered creep!"

"Heh heh- Baka-thief got caught!~"

The demure lady merely sighed. 'In the meantime, I must be sure to account for _all_ the family silverware...'


	6. Chapter 6

EDIT: My apologizes; somehow I accidentally posted the 'rough draft' version of this storyline yesterday evening- a big thanks to Cowardly Dragon for pointing this out! Sorry for any confusion!

 _(A/N~ Sorry for not posting this sooner; I kindof of lost my inspiration with this story. It was originally going to be much longer with more conflict, but I didn't like how OOC that would require almost everyone to act. So, I've decided the next chapter will be last; rather than keeping it 'on hiatus' indefinitely. I don't want to mislead people, and I know how frustrating it is when a story gets put on a 'temporary' hiatus that lasts for years. -.-; I apologize if the rest of this seems a bit rushed, and I hope it's not too disappointing! And of course, thanks for reading!)_

" _ **Ba-ku-ra..."**_

Someone was calling his name. The voice sounded distorted, echoing unnaturally in the void.

"Ugh... what..." The dazed duelist scowled as he regained consciousness. His scarlet eyes slowly opened, and he saw that he was in an odd, misty area. The grey fog swirling about almost reminded him of the Shadow Realm, but something was duller here. There was no sound, no other movement. Everything felt dead and empty.

"Sh*t..." He tried to raise himself into a sitting position, but found that he was held back by something metal.

He was chained down. Immobilized by thick, iron shackles on his wrists and ankles. They felt cruelly cold and heavy.

'What the...' Confused, the pale yami tried to inspect the bonds further. The chains around his wrists didn't seem to have a welding point. 'But... that's impossible...' The once-Thief King shook his head in bewilderment. 'Any metalworking would require a conjunction at some point... they must have a lock or a joint or _something_...'

A lean figure suddenly appeared in the mist. The voice spoke again, this time sounding stronger.

" _Bakura..._ "

"Wha- _Ryou_?" The shackled thief gaped in confusion as his hikari slowly appeared between the wisps of grey.

But this wasn't the Ryou he knew- the boy's eyes were gaunt and tinged with red. His smile was lopsided and deranged, while his white hair was tainted with dark scarlet spots that looked suspiciously like dried blood.

"My memories are back." The hikari declared in a rather sharp tone. "And I remember who you really are- and what you've done." He gave a disdainful snort. "You- you've done so much to me and my friends. _So many crimes_. So much innocent blood spilt..."

The pallid teen raised what looked like a rusted hacksaw over his head. His disturbing smile widened as the blade mutely glistened. "I think... it's about time you paid back some of that blood."

" _ **NO!"**_ The pale yami suddenly jolted himself awake. Bakura gasped for air as he struggled to return to reality. His body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. " _Sh*t!_ " His limbs were still shaking as he glanced around the room. It took him a moment to remember that he was staying at the Ishtar residence. He'd barely recognized this fact when he heard a loud voice calling out from somewhere down the hall.

"Bakura?" Moments later, two platinum-haired heads suddenly appeared in the door frame. The smaller Egyptian sounded mildly concerned as he explained. "We heard yelling- what happened?"

Without pausing, the quick-witted thief replied,"I got up to take a piss and stubbed my d*mn toe."

"Ah." Malik nodded before guiding Marik back to their room.

With the other duelists gone, there was nothing to distract the now-conscious thief. He groaned as he sat on the edge of the guest bed and glanced out the window. He could just see the Eastern night sky, dotted with stars.

'Ryou always loved looking at the stars... such a hopeless romantic...' The scowling once-spirit noticed the red glow coming from the bedside table's digital clock. The electronic screen clearly read: **3:29**.

Cursing under his breath, the frustrated thief stood up and made his way to the room's largest window. 'Dammit... what the hell am I _doing_ ; just sitting here, waiting around... it's been _three days_..." He felt his mind wander as he watched the silent stars blinking distantly. 'What- what happens if his memories _never_ come back?'

It only took a minute for him to realize that this peaceful inaction was NOT his style. Discomfited and impatient, the rash yami decided it was time he returned home. Bakura quietly threw open the window and disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, Ryou Bakura was pacing in his bedroom, unable to sleep. He looked around the empty quarters and sighed. 'It's a nice house; but rather lonely, really...' He frowned as he sat back down on his bed. He thought about flipping through some of the television shows downstairs again, but most of the channels seemed to be in that odd language. 'Right... I suppose if I'm really living in Japan, everything is likely to be in Japanese...' His gaze drifted to a handsome hickory bookcase. 'At least some of the books in my collection are in English. They must be childhood left-overs.'

With nothing better to do, the recovering hikari began perusing the assorted English tomes. He glanced over the aging spines, noting the various titles. They were almost all fairy tale-type books- clearly old bedtime stories. One of the larger volumes caught his eye.

'Hmm... this looks interesting- 'Aesop's Fables.'' Ryou took the old book and casually flipped to a random page. 'Oh, it's a collection of moral folk-stories- this one's called 'The Horse and the Stag.'

He sat back down and started to read aloud to himself. It was comforting to find that he at least remembered how to read in English. 'Maybe these old tales will help bring back my memories... hm...' He began to read aloud, his eyes easily scanning the page.

"Once upon a time, there was a young, wild horse who lived on a vast plain. It was a quiet place, and he lived there peacefully for many years. One day, a brash stag came across the field, and tried to drive away the horse. The proud stag wanted the lands for himself and his herd, and he knew he could easily defeat the fledgling stallion. The young horse was angered, and he decided to seek revenge on the stag. But he was too young and small to stop the fully-grown intruder, and the horse would risk being gored upon the other's sharp antlers. So he asked a passing human hunter to help him take down the stag. The hunter agreed, but added, 'first, you must let me put this bit in your mouth, and this saddle on your back. Otherwise, I cannot guide you to your enemy, and I will not be fast enough to hit the stag.' So the young horse agreed, and the man rode down the stag and ended its life with an arrow. The horse then thanked the man before asking him to remove his bit and saddle. But the man only laughed, and tugged on the reigns harder. 'Not so fast, my friend- I have grown fond of your swiftness, and have no desire to release such a useful beast. You belong to me now, and will serve me for the rest of your days.'"

Ryou closed the book, his eyes downcast. 'Wow... that's rather cruel... the stag tried to drive off the young horse, and in the end they both suffered?' He bit his lip as reflected on the sad story. 'But...did the stag even deserve death? And what about the poor horse, being enslaved for his retaliation?"

Feeling slightly depressed, the confused youth decided to place the book back on the shelf. He stood up and started to walk towards the wooden bookcase.

"Hey."

" _WAHHH!"_ Ryou yelped and dropped the heavy tome onto the floor. "Wha-?!" He turned to find that he wasn't alone. The farthest window was open, and apparently the monster known as 'Bakura' had clambered in.

"Geez, all I said was 'Hey!' How the hell am I supposed to not startle you when you're so jumpy?!" The pale intruder sounded _annoyed_ , of all things.

Naturally, the trespasser's gall did little to pacify the startled amnesiac. "Well maybe _you_ shouldn't climb into people's homes at 4 in the morning, for starters! That's a great way to get killed!" The exhausted teen felt his patience waning- this jerk was insufferable!

Bakura let out a huff of disbelief. "Yes, I'm sure you could easily kill me with that book- papercuts being so deadly and all."

"..." Ryou felt uneasy, but something about that story made him curious. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason he had a faint notion that he still didn't know everything. "Bakura."

"What?"

"...Yugi and his friends told me some things. Most things. But I still want to hear your side."

"What." The baffled yami wasn't certain he'd heard right. "You want..."

Ryou nodded twice. "I want to know everything. EVERYTHING. The entire story, in _your_ words."

The once-Thief King felt baffled- no one had ever asked to hear his entire explanation of the ancient events.

"Alright. But be forewarned: it's not a pleasant little fairytale." He pointed to the small book Ryou had dropped earlier.

"I'm listening." The slender youth sat down on his bed, waiting for the former spirit to speak.

Eventually, the dark duelist relayed everything he knew about the history of the Millennium Items.

Although it was a _highly_ biased re-telling, Ryou still discovered several great discrepancies between Bakura's version and the tale he'd heard from the Yugi-tachi.

Namely, he now understood that being possessed by a merciless demon was far different than being possessed by an ancient human spirit.

'So, he made a deal with the devil when he was just a child... how awful...' Ryou sighed as his 'guest' trailed off.

But Bakura noticed the look on his 'landlord's' face and scowled. "I didn't tell you all _that_ just so you could pity me! Knock it off!"

Ryou raised one eyebrow and calmly replied, "why?"

" _Eh?!_ "

The inquisitive youth stared directly at the strange man from his past. "What are you so afraid of, that you would be angry that someone would pity you? Do you feel like I'm taking some sort of power from you?" The curious youth tilted his head as he spoke. "Do you think that by receiving empathy from someone like myself, you might somehow be weakened, also?"

"N-no!" The flustered thief blurted out, his armor of arrogance briefly cracking. "You just look... _ugly_ when you make that face!"

Ryou felt something familiar returning- he'd played this game before. He sensed that his stubborn yami was just making things up to protect his own ego. Ryou also felt himself recalling how he used to deal with such childish comments. "Oh, _I_ see-" The sly duelist responded, scarcely noticing that he had suddenly switched from English to Japanese; "-so that means you normally find my face attractive?"

" _WHAT?!"_

The pale hikari gave a small grin as he elaborated. "Well, you said that pitying _you_ makes my face look ugly, and that bothers you. Which means you must find my normal face appealing."

"Wha- NOT AT ALL!" The intruder snapped back just a little too quickly. "I just meant that it looks even 'uglier!'"

"But that's not what you said." Ryou folded his arms, his smile widening. "You said 'ugly', not 'uglier.'"

"Shut up! I'm a Ra-d*mned Ancient Egyptian who _died_ 3,000 years ago, and was recently given flesh again; so _excuse me_ if my English isn't perfect!"

Ryou couldn't help but chuckle slightly. " _Now_ I remember- you always used to pull that 'Ancient Egyptian' excuse when you didn't understand something. You used it for the mailman, the microwave, the toas- ter-" Ryou paused as he felt his memories flooding back. "Oh my..." He gasped as pieces of that afternoon slowly returned and assembled in the front of his mind. "You- you tried to fix the toaster by jamming a metal blade into it... and I got- shocked..." Ryou's chocolate-brown eyes widened as he suddenly rounded on his 'tenant'. _"YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED, YOU IDIOT!" _ The normally quiet youth bellowed at his other half. _"WHAT were you thinking, sticking a metal blade into there?!" _The enraged hikari gestured towards the nearest wall outlet with one arm. "Haven't I told you, time and time again, _ not to mess with electricity?!"_

Bewildered by the sudden shift in attitudes, the pale yami could only raise an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You're... you're not afraid of me anymore?"

"I'm not afraid _of_ you..." Ryou felt his shoulders lower in exhaustion. The ranting had drained the last bits of his energy. "I'm afraid..." His voice softened as he lowly admitted his fear, "...of _losing_ you."

Ryou then glanced at the digital clock on his (now familiar) nightstand- 4 **:26**. He gave a sigh as he looked back towards his darker half. "Look, it's late, I'm tired, and _you_ -" here he poked the other duelist in the chest with his index finger, "-are lucky to be alive." The former spirit watched as the exhausted hikari clambered onto his small mattress. "I'm going back to bed now, but we'll talk more in the morning." With a yawn, Ryou pulled the covers up and mumbled something that sounded like, "G'night, Bakura." It only took moments for the boy's soft snores to fill the room.

Bakura held back a yawn of his own- he hated to admit it, but being returned to a physical form did put him at the mercy of basic needs yet again. He glanced around the quiet room- Ryou was already asleep, his breathe barely making a sound as it drifted over his pillowcase.

Exhausted, Bakura decided it wasn't worth the trek down the hall to the guest room. Ryou was already on one side of the mattress, so it was easy for him to take the other half. He grabbed a spare pillow from the room's tiny closet and placed it next to the slumbering figure.

The once-Thief King sighed as his own head sank into the fluffy white pillow. He knew it was probably 'rude' to just sneak into the same bed as his hikari, but...

'He'll forgive me.' The scarlet-eyed bandit yawned as he surrendered to the world of dreams.

'He always... does.'


End file.
